Retrofit kit for motorizing a collapsible mini scooter

ABSTRACT

A motorized retrofit kit for lightweight collapsible mini scooter is described as a complete conversion for a lightweight push scooter to motor driven units. Owners of existing scooters can install a mini electric motor battery system, wiring and on/off button to drive rear wheel with limited skills and equipment.

[0001] The present invention claims the priority date of a prior filedprovisional patent application having serial No. 60-240548, and officialfiling date of Oct. 12, 2000, and which discloses substantial similarmatter as described herein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The present invention is directed to a collapsible motorized miniscooter, a retrofit motorized unit in kit form for a mini scooter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] During the past few years, the lightweight collapsible miniscooter has become very popular in the market place. The scooter is verydurable and very compact when folded up. The steering tube can becollapsed; handle grips folded and unit can be placed in a bag andcarried over one's shoulder. Children, teenagers and some adults use themini scooter today. A motorized unit for these existing scooters wouldbe a great added value and enjoyment for existing scooter owners, aslong as it comes in a kit form and easy to install with minimum skillsand equipment.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0004] The invention is embodied in a kit form converting anon-motorized mini scooter into a motorized scooter which does notdamage the original scooter construction by drilling, machining orbreaking any of the scooters original parts. The kit will provide allthe components to convert and motorize the mini scooter: Motor,batteries, charging system and hardware for installation.

[0005] Power to the motor will begin when rider engages forward motion,which sends current to a relay, which in turn sends current to motor,and directs forward motion. When the rider releases the switch, thecurrent is discontinued. The drive is engaged by a positive lock leveror thumbscrew mounted with the motor bracket, battery pack NiCad andrequired relay are in cavity located underneath footrest platform. Motorbracket is placed where existing fender is located by replacing fenderwith bracket and motor. In turn fender is then placed on motor bracket.Motor is activated by button switch on handle bar and ground current torelay is sent through rotating contact shoe on adjustable handle bartube, or optional remote system on some units are provided which use atransmitter on the handles grips and an additional receiver located inthe battery cavity, and a cam lock motor bracket adjuster is used aswell as a foot lock motor adjuster. The forward motion is obtained by asmall spindle located on electric motor shaft, which comes in contactwith the rear wheel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a side view of motorized kit installed on razor typemini scooter.

[0007]FIG. 2 is the lower cavity for battery storage rotating cup andbattery tray.

[0008]FIG. 3 is present invention retrofit kit contents, battery tray,isolator ring, contact shoe, and motor bracket thumbscrew.

[0009]FIG. 4 is the motor bracket with thumbscrew and pivot pin.

[0010]FIG. 5 is the adjusting pivot pin

[0011]FIG. 6 activating foot brake

[0012]FIG. 7 activating foot brake

[0013]FIG. 8 represents clip on retrofit rotating contact shoe.

[0014]FIG. 9 represents the pre-production motor bracket.

[0015]FIG. 10 represents the motor bracket with different fenderoptions.

[0016]FIG. 11 represents the rotating contact collar.

[0017]FIG. 12 represents scooter foot platform

[0018]FIG. 13 represents spring instead of thumbscrew

[0019]FIG. 14 represents complete kit in box form for consumer purchase.

[0020]FIG. 15 represents butterfly bracket with motor and isolatorcollar, start stop, charger, spring installer tool, pin tool, wiringsystem and battery tray.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment invarious forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter bedescribed the presently preferred embodiments of the invention with theunderstanding that the present disclosures is to be considered as anexemplification of the invention and it is not intended to limit theinvention to the specific embodiments illustrated.

[0022] The invention is embodied in a kit for converting a non-motorizedscooter into a motorized scooter which does not damage the originalscooter's construction by drilling, machining or breaking any of thescooter's original parts. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a non-motorizedscooter 1 for use with the kit 51 of the present invention includes abase platform 3 which is stepped upon by the rider when the scooter 1 isin use. The scooter 1 also includes a head tube 15, which attaches tothe front of the base platform 3 by a hinge assembly 21. The hingeassembly 21 permits the head tube 15 to rotate approximately 90 degreesfrom a reclined position for storage, to an extended position for use.The hinge assembly 21 preferably includes a hinge lock 23 for lockingthe head tube 15 in either a reclined or extended position. Telescopingthrough the head tube 15 is a steering column 7 including an upper tube9 and lower tube 11. The steering column 7 is rotably attached to thehead tube 15 using bearings 17, which are mounted to the top and bottominterior of the head tube 15. Preferably, the upper tube 9 is slidablytelescopic within lower tube 11 and can be locked in various verticalposition using a clamp lock 19. At the top of the steering column 7 arehorizontally extending handlebars 5 which enable the rider to rotate thesteering column 7 by manual rotation of the handlebars 5. Affixed at thebottom of the steering column 7 is a front fork 25. Rotably mounted by afront axle 29 to the front fork 25 is a front wheel 27.

[0023] At the rear of the scooter 1 is a rear fork 31, which extendsrearwardly from the rear of the base platform 3. The rear fork 31 isapplied to a laterally extending rear axle 35, which rotably mounts thescooter's rear wheel 33. Preferably, the scooter 1 also includes a rearfender foot break 37. The fender foot break 37 is hingably attached tothe front of the rear fork 31 by a pin, or a screw and nut combination,which extends laterally through two holes 41 formed in the rear fork 31and two corresponding holes formed at the front of the fender foot break37. The fender foot break 37 is biased upwardly by a spring 39. In use,a rider of the scooter 1 depresses the fender foot break 37 against therear wheel 33 to inhibit the wheel's rotation and cause braking of thescooter 1.

[0024] The scooter 1 of the prior art provides a lightweight collapsiblestructure, which is driven by a user by a push-and-go method in which arider uses one of his feet to propel the scooter which is ridden bybalancing on the rider's other foot. Referring to all of the figures,and particularly FIG. 3, the kit 51 of the present invention is directedto converting the non-motorized scooter of the prior art into amotorized structure. The kit 51 includes a bracket 53 (best shown inFIG. 9), a motor 59 and an additional fender foot break 63 alreadyaffixed to the bracket 53. Referring to FIG. 9, to this end, the bracket53 includes a pair of top holes 57 for hingably affixing the fender footbreak 63 using a pivot pin passing through the top holes 57 andcorresponding holes formed at the front extremity of the fender footbreak 63. Meanwhile, the motor 59 is affixed to the bracket 53 usingtypical fasteners at motor mount holes 60.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the kit 51 for converting the scooter1 into a motorized scooter includes a low torque motor having atwenty-seven winding, single strand armature. For a preferred embodimentfor creating a high performance scooter, the motor 59 includes afourteen winding, three strand armature. The motor 59 also preferablyincludes internal bearings for withstanding forces imparted upon themotor's spindle 61. Suitable motors are available from Mabuchi Motor inJapan.

[0026] The kit 51 of the present invention also includes a battery pack71 including a plurality of batteries 75 for providing electrical powerto the motor. In a first preferred construction, the battery pack 71includes twelve 1.2 volt rechargeable batteries. The batteries are wiredto provide two sets of six 1.2 volt batteries wired in series, with eachset of six batteries wired parallel to provide a battery pack 71providing 7.2 volts. In a second preferred embodiment, the battery pack71 includes fourteen 1.2 volt rechargeable batteries for providingadditional torque. The batteries are wired to provide two sets of seven1.2 volt batteries wired in series, with each set of seven batterieswired in parallel to provide a battery pack providing 8.4 volts.Providing protection for the battery pack 71 is a battery tray 73 whichis affixed to the scooter 1 using Velcro attachment 77 or the like.

[0027] The battery pack 71 is connected to the motor 59 using relativehigh current wires 84 which extend from both the battery pack 71 andmotor 59 and are connected using male and female connectors 79 and 81.The flow of current from the battery pack 71 to the motor 59 iscontrolled using a control circuit 85 which includes a high currentrelay 83 controlled by a switch constructed as an on/off button 99.Numerous suitable relays are available to those skilled in the art.However, a twelve-volt relay typically used to control the headlamps ofautomobiles have been found to be particularly acceptable. The on/offbutton 99 is connected to the relay 83 through a pair of signal wires 87and 89, which are, in-turn, connected by a contact strip 91 and contactwith the contact strip 91 by a circular collar 105.

[0028] The kit 51 of the present invention preferably includes anumerous minor attachments means for attaching the signal wires 87 and89 to the scooter 1 such as cable ties 103 or mounting bases 101 havingan adhesive backing. The above-described kit 51 provides all of thecomponents necessary for transforming a typical prior art non-motorizedscooter into a motorized scooter, which can be installed in only a fewminutes using only a hammer and a screwdriver, the assembly of whichwill not damage the original scooter in any way.

[0029] Again with reference to all of the figures, to convert thenon-motorized scooter into a motorized construction, the original fenderfoot break is removed by removing the preexisting pivot pin 43. In placeof the preexisting fender foot break, the bracket 53 is affixed to thescooter's rear fork 31 using pivot pin 43 which is threaded through theholes in the rear fork 31 and the bottom holes 55 formed in the bracket53. With reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7, the bracket 53 is hingablyattached to the scooter's rear fork 31 with the pin 43 so that clockwiserotation of the thumb screw 67 against the base platform 3 causes thebracket 53 to rotate rearwardly, which in-turn causes the motor'sspindle 61 to engage the external surface of the scooter's rear wheel33. Thus, activation of the motor 59 causes the rear wheel 33 to rotate.Conversely, counter-clockwise rotation of the thumbscrew 67 causes theforce of the motor spindle 61 against the surface of the rear wheel 33to be reduced enabling the rider of the scooter 1 to operate the scooter1 in a non-motorized mode. As illustrated in FIG. 13, in an additionalembodiment, instead of using a thumbscrew 67, a spring is used to biasthe bracket 53 and motor 59 rearwardly against the scooter's rear wheel33.

[0030] With reference to FIG. 2, the battery pack 71 and relay 83 aremounted within a channel typically formed on the underside of thescooter's base platform 3. After the battery pack 71 and relay 83 aremounted to the scooter's underside using typical fasteners known tothose skilled in the art such as glue or Velcro, the battery cover 73 isalso attached to the underside of the scooter's base platform 3 usingVelcro or the like to protect the battery pack 71 and relay 83 fromdamage during riding. As shown in FIG. 2, the battery pack 71 isconnected to the relay 83 and in-turn to the motor 59 through highcurrent wires 84 and connectors 79 and 81.

[0031] The control circuit 85 is installed on the scooter 1 by routingsignal wire 89 through battery cover 73 to the front of the scooter'sbase platform 3 and then upwardly along the side of the scooter's headtube 15. Preferably, the wire 89 is affixed in place using adhesivebacked tie bases 101 and cable ties 103. With reference to FIGS. 1, 2and 8, the contact strip 91 is affixed in annular fashion to the top ofthe head tube 15 using double stick tape or the like to form anelectrical ring on the head tube's upper exterior surface. Meanwhile,the collar 105 is affixed to the lower extremity of the rotable steeringcolumn 7 so that the lower portion of the collar extends concentricallyaround the contact strip 91. Attached to the interior of the collar 105is the contact bar 95 which is positioned to slidably contact the sideof the contact strip 91 as the steering column 7 and collar 105 arerotated. The single wire extending from the contact bar 95 is routedupwardly along the length of the steering column 7, and preferably iscoiled along the steering column's upper tube 9 so that the upper tube 9may still telescopically extend and retract within the steering column'slower tube 11. The on/off button 99 is then affixed to the handlebars 5using bracketry or tie wraps as could be constructed by those skilled inthe art.

[0032] The on/off button 99 is preferably constructed so that depressionof the button causes a current to flow through the switch, with theremoval of pressure from the on/off button 99 causing the circuit toopen. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the signalwires 89 and 97, in cooperation with contact strip 91, in rotationalcontact with contact bar 95 provide a first electrical path to theon/off button 99 from the relay 83. Providing a second electrical pathfrom the on/off button 99 to the relay 83 is the frame of the scooter 1itself. To this end, the handlebars 5, steering column 7, bearings 17,head tube 15, hinge assembly 21 and base platform 3 are all constructedof electrically conductive metal such as stainless steel. One of theterminals of the on/off button 99 is electrically connected directly tothe underside of the platform base 3. Thus, depression of on/off button99 causes a circuit to close through signal wire 89, contact strip 91,contact bar 95, signal wire 97, handlebars 5, steering column 7,bearings 17, head tube 15, hinge assembly 21 and base platform 3 causingthe relay 83 to close, permitting current to flow from battery pack 71to the motor 59.

[0033] Once the components of the kit 51 have been installed on thescooter 1, a motorized scooter is thus provided. Depressing the on/offbutton 99 energizes the motor 59 causing the rear wheel 33 to rotate.Braking is provided by depressing the fender foot break against the rearwheel 33.

[0034] Preferred embodiment is complete kit FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 readyfor consumer purchase which includes FIG. 14, battery charger 150,twelve volt adapter 151, spring installer 152, pin installer 153 andFIG. 15, butterfly motor bracket 154 and all necessary wiring and relayinstallations.

[0035] Although the present invention has described with reference tothe preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognizethat changes may be made in form and detail without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:
 1. Existing folding lightweight mini scooter presently whichthere are over 25 separate brands on the market as of the summer of2001. This retrofit kit can be used on most all the brands. Theinvention is presented on the “Razor” style lightweight collapsible typescooter. This retrofit kit will provide far greater enjoyment andversatility for the owners and a much broader range of uses.
 2. Theretrofit kit in claim 1, can be installed with minimum skill andequipment.
 3. The kit in claim 2 will include motor bracket, NiCadbatteries, mini electric motor, wiring, rotating contact show to allowhandle bar movement. All wiring and relays, battery tray and chargingsystem.
 4. The retrofit kit in claim 3 when install the rider willengage motor contact with positive lock mechanism by thumb screw,butterfly lever or cam lock, which will direct force from a small pinionon motor to rear wheel. Rider will push start button or transmitterbutton; push scooter with foot and motor will pick up current from relayand be propelled forward. When battery is exhausted rider will rechargewith provided charger.